Without Parker, Spurs top Rockets
Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points apiece to help the San Antonio Spurs, now without point guard Tony Parker, beat the host Houston Rockets 103-92 on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Aldridge had managed just 19 points combined in the first two games, but stepped up in the wake of Parker’s seasonending leg injury, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs pull away.
Coach Gregg Popovich started rookie Dejounte Murray in San Antonio’s first game since Parker was injured Wednesday, instead of moving Patty Mills into the starting lineup. Mills had 15 points in 30 minutes and Murray scored two points in 15 minutes.
The Spurs led by six until Aldridge scored all of their points in a 7-2 run to make it 85-74 with about five minutes left.
Houston cut its deficit to eight soon afterward, but Danny Green made two three-pointers in less than a minute to push the lead to 94-82 with less than three minutes remaining.
James Harden led the Rockets with 43 points after he scored 13 in Game 2.
Game 4 is Sunday in Houston. Cavaliers 115, Raptors 94: LeBron James scored 35 points, Kevin Love had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Cleveland pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat host Toronto for a 3-0 lead in the East semifinals.
“We knew we were coming to a hostile environment, we knew they were going to give us everything they had, no matter who was in the lineup,” James said. “We just had to weather the storm.”
DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 19 for the Raptors, who were without guard Kyle Lowry because of a sprained ankle.
Game 4 is Sunday in Toronto.
The Cavaliers became the only team since the Minneapolis Lakers in 1949 and 1950 to win their first seven playoff games in consecutive seasons. Cleveland won 10 straight to begin the 2016 playoffs. Briefly: Parker had successful surgery to repair a ruptured left quadriceps tendon, the Spurs said . ... Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer resigned as the team’s president of basketball operations and Wes Wilcox resigned as general manager, the team announced.